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MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Speaking to representatives of 30 countries gathered for a two-day summit in Colombia yesterday, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations’ special rapporteur for Gaza and the West Bank, called for countries to "immediately review and suspend all ties with the State of Israel" to stop what she characterized as "genocide" in Gaza. [more]
• The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said yesterday that malnutrition rates among children in Gaza have nearly doubled to 10.2% since Israel began restricting the entry of food into the Palestinian enclave in March. [more]
• Israel is reported to have carried out large-scale airstrikes on the Syrian capital of Damascus today as part of efforts to stop Syrian government forces from attacking Druze communities. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,238 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Reports say at least 15 people were injured in overnight Russian drone and missile attacks that targeted energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Vinnytsia, and Odesa. [more]

U.S. FEDERAL FUNDING | The Senate voted 50-50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie, yesterday to advance Trump administration plans to cancel some $9 billion in previously approved spending. A final Senate vote on the rescissions package could take place as early as today. [more]

U.S. MEDICAL DEBT | Saying the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exceeded its authority in the matter, Texas-based U.S. District Court Judge Sean Jordan yesterday reversed a Biden-era finalized rule that would have removed medical debt from U.S. consumer credit reports. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Reports say President Donald Trump is urging Texas state legislators to redraw the state’s congressional maps to create more House seats favorable to the Republican Party – a move analysts suggest is part of a broader effort to help maintain Republican control of the House in next year's midterm elections. [more]

CALIFORNIA | The U.S. Department of Defense announced yesterday that it is withdrawing some 2,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles following their controversial deployment amidst immigration-related protests. The move leaves another 2,000 National Guard personnel and about 700 U.S. Marines still deployed in the city. [more]

MICHIGAN | Following the arrest of two school-associated Chinese scientists on charges of smuggling biological materials into the U.S., and citing concerns of "vulnerability to national security threats from China," the U.S. Education Department opened an investigation into foreign funding at the University of Michigan yesterday. [more]

WEST VIRGINIA | A federal appeals court yesterday upheld a 2023 lower court ruling that found West Virginia's near-total abortion ban took precedence over drug approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and restricted abortion pill sales in the state. [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | President Donald Trump said yesterday that he plans to impose trade tariffs of "a little over 10%" on goods from about 100 smaller countries, mainly in the Caribbean and Africa, and that he would probably announce new tariffs on pharmaceutical imports at the end of July. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | According to the union that represents them, at least 17 U.S. immigration court judges have been fired by the Justice Department without cause over the past several days and 103 of the judges have either been fired or voluntarily resigned since President Donald Trump began his second term in office. [more]

GLOBAL INFLUENCE | According to a new survey of 24 countries by the Pew Research Center, more people have a positive view of the United States than of China, but the gap between the two is narrowing, as views of the U.S. have become more negative while views of China have turned more positive over the past year.[press release] [U.S. report] [China report] [more]

U.K.  AND AFGHANISTAN | British officials say some 16,000 people have been relocated to the U.K. as of May this year under a secret plan to bring thousands of Afghans to the U.K. after their personal details were disclosed in one of the country's worst ever data breaches, putting them at risk of reprisals from the Taliban after their return to power. [more]

IRAN | The Associated Press cites unnamed diplomatic sources as saying the U.K., France, and Germany have agreed to restore economic sanctions on Iran if there has been no concrete progress on a nuclear deal by the end of August. [more]

U.K. AND PAKISTAN | The U.K. has reportedly lifted its five-year-old ban on Pakistani airlines following improvements in Pakistan's aviation safety standards. [more]

ITALY | According to the country's Justice Ministry, Italy may release some 10,000 people from prison, or about 15% of the total population of inmates, to ease overcrowding. [more]

BASEBALL | Following a 6-6 tie after nine innings, the National League beat the American League last night in Major League Baseball's first-ever All-Star Game swing-off. [more]

ENTERTAINMENT | Nominations for the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards were announced yesterday, with "Severance," "The Studio," and "The Penguin" among the top nominees. [full nominees list] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1969, Apollo 11 lifted off from NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four days later two of its astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, became the first humans to set foot on the Moon. [more history]